Hello Reader,

Have you ever started decluttering, felt motivated for a while, and then watched the progress you made quietly fall apart? Or walked into a beautifully ordered room and felt, if you're honest, a bit flat or even bored?

If either of those sounds familiar, it's probably not a willpower problem. It's personality.

I am fascinated with understanding the psychology of our homes, it is even the title of the introduction to my book The Secret Life of Clutter. One of the most widely used models in psychology, the 'Big Five', scores each of us on five traits, one of which is called openness. This measures how much you're drawn to novelty, ideas and variety versus routine and familiarity. I’ve recently published an article that explores how this trait has a real bearing on how naturally organised (or not) you are, and why some tidying advice just doesn't land for you.

Here's a reframe you can use today, whether or not you read on: if part of what keeps your clutter around is a streak of rebelliousness, a dislike of being told how to live, try this. The truly rebellious move isn't leaving things where they land. It's doing the unexpected thing and becoming brilliantly organised. Clutter that comes from resisting rules is still just following a different set of rules; deliberately choosing order may lead to some more interesting results.

In my new article, I go through the specific strands that make up openness (imagination, artistic interests, adventurousness, intellect and liberalism) and what each one tends to mean for your relationship with your belongings. There is also a link to take a free ‘Big Five’ test, along with some practical tips tailored to whether you score high or low for this trait.

Read the full piece here to see which parts of openness might be shaping your home, and how to work with your own psychology instead of against it: https://www.helensanderson.com/how-an-open-personality-type-may-lead-to-clutter/​

Best wishes

Helen